The Brief
- Jim McFarland is a fourth-generation cobbler who operates McFarland Shoe Repair in Polk County.
- Known online as “America’s Cobbler,” McFarland has attracted millions of followers with videos documenting the shoe restoration process.
- McFarland’s family’s connection to the shoe repair industry stretches back more than a century.
MEDULLA, Fla. – Inside a small shoe repair shop in Polk County, Jim McFarland is keeping a fading American trade alive while introducing the art of cobbling to an entirely new generation.
McFarland is known online as “America’s Cobbler,” a title earned after his detailed shoe repair and restoration videos unexpectedly became a social media sensation.
Polk County shoe repair craft
The backstory:
McFarland operates McFarland Shoe Repair on South Florida Avenue in Medulla, where he restores everything from worn-out work boots and dress shoes to leather goods and footwear with deep sentimental value.…